Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

Menu

I attended the Korean Culture Show, which was a non-IA event, on Friday, February 2. This event consisted of various performances from traditional Korean fan dances to modern kpop dances. I really enjoyed this event since it reminded me of home and a lot of my friends were the ones that either planned KCS or were performing. In Korea, there are always talent shows like this from elementary school to high school when we go on annual 3-day field trips. It felt like watching an upgraded version of those trip talent shows. It also made me proud of my origin and culture seeing not only Koreans, but students of diverse races and ethnicity enjoying and performing our traditional and modern dances.

Before the start of the show, the Korean flag was projected on the screen and we sang our national anthem, “Aagukga”, which I hadn’t sang since I was in middle school. I’m so glad they decided to include this as a part of the program. The first act of the show focused more on singing and the traditional arts while the second act focused on kpop. There was an all-girls’ fan dance group that danced to a beautiful traditional music. The OSU Taekwondo team also performed the traditional martial arts. They organized various scenarios and matched it with music, which made the act more exciting. A local Samul-nori team also came. Samul-nori is like a band dressed up in traditional Samul-nori clothes and playing traditional instruments. The instruments don’t have multiple pitches like the piano or guitar does, so you basically play with the different beats to create music. It’s a way our ancestors used to have fun playing book, janggu, sogo, quanggari, etc hundreds of years ago. I learned how to play janggu when I was little, and it brought me back so many memories. It might be a little too loud and confusing at first, but it’s energetic and fun once you start understanding how it works. There were also other teams that performed in singing, piano and violin, kpop dance, and even break dancing. But the highlight of this event was probably QoA and TPOK’s performances in the second act. The quality of their performances and the fans’ chants reminded me of an actual kpop idol’s concert. QoA, a girls’ kpop dance group under KSA(Korean Student Association), performed various songs from the so-called original kpop song, “Into the New World” by Girl’s Generation, to boy’s kpop dances. They had different outfits prepared for each song and it seemed like they put in a lot of effort in preparing for each one of them. Following QoA’s performance, TPOK put up a breathtaking act as well. TPOK is a boy’s dance group under KISO(Korean International Student Organization). I know both of these groups put in a lot of effort because I have a couple of friends in these groups. They practiced every day until the union closes, and I felt so proud of my friends that worked so hard to put on those amazing performances.

KCS was an event that not only was fun but also made me proud of my home country’s music and culture.

I attended an academic event that discussed the recent presidential election in Brazil. An extreme shift in Brazilian politics occurred on October 7, 2018. Jair Bolsonaro, a far right presidential candidate, was elected, will be inaugurated on January 1st, 2019. This was an surprising result considering that Brazil is a democratic country. Bolsonaro has defended dictatorship in the past and has denigrated women and minorities. The way he was able to win people over was by promising to oppress the frequent violent crimes in the country. But the way he plans on accomplishing this can be controversial. He wants to give the police more power to decrease the crime rate in the country. Even though this might seem like a good idea on the surface, giving police more power can be extremely dangerous especially since the police has enough power in Brazil. He states that police should be able to kill criminals without facing prosecution. This will potentially threaten the people by increasing the rate of police violence, which is already high in the country.

Bolsonaro is often compared to Donald Trump not only because of his sexist and racist remarks, but also because of his campaign and use of social media. He promises to “make Brazil great.” He is pushed against environmental regulations just like Trump critiques the landmark Paris climate accord. Bolsonaro plans on lowering taxes and privatizing the state companies. One of the things I found interesting is how the Brazilian citizens’ reaction to Bolsonaro aligned with US citizen’s reaction to Trump. Since what he offers is extremely different from other candidates, the Brazilian citizens seem attracted to his radical platform.

One topic discussed for a significant amount of time was his economic policies. Bolsonaro favors neoliberal approach when it comes to Brazil’s economy. His approach displays extensive liberalism never seen in the country before. I’m skeptical of his policies, however, since they seem to focus solely on the economic development, which does not necessarily mean socioeconomic development. The way everyone has to pay the same level of tax, whether you are poor or wealthy, seems extremely unfair since the poorer people will pay higher percentage of their income when the wealthy will pay only a small portion of their income.

Another topic discussed during the event was Bolsonaro’s plan on exploiting the amazon rainforest for oil. After doing further research on my own, I think this is less of an issue among his policies because he has more serious issues to face like the crime rate, economic failure, securing his policitical stability, etc. However, it is something that will be a problem later in his presidency if he decides to proceed with his plan to harvest the amazon’s riches. His pledge to rollback the protecting on the rain forest and indigenous rights set off an alarm among environmentalists and indigenous communities.

Overall, Brazil’s new presidential-elect could tremendously affect not only Brazil but also the global community. No one knows if the effects will be positive or negative yet, but the most people seem to fear that they will be harmful. I wasn’t even aware of the presidential election in Brazil until I attended this event. From this, I gained a deeper understanding not only of Bolsonaro’s policies but also the political, economic, and social status in Brazil. I also learned a lot from the further research I did on the changes the recent election will bring and the concerns regarding these changes.

I attended the IA-mini Involvement fair that happened on October 25, 2018. The set-up was just like the involvement fair that happened at the beginning of the year, allowing us to talk to organizations we’re interested in and seek opportunities. Even though it was much smaller than I thought it would be, I found this event helpful since it was less overwhelming than the involvement fair. It was also helpful since it only had organizations specifically geared toward International Affairs scholars’ interests. There were a couple organization that caught my attention, which I would consider getting involved in.

At the event, there were organizations that I already heard of and those that I didn’t know about. I’m already involved in AWOW, Advocates for Women of the World, and I was happy to see a friendly face there. I also had signed up to receive emails from MUNDO before the start of this semester when registering for housing. I had actually signed up without knowing exactly what it was, so talking to them helped me gain a better understanding of what they do. They’re a diversity, leadership, and service focused group, allowing students to connect with with each other while getting a chance to develop leadership and awareness.

I also talked to SLA, which stands for Student Leadership Advocates. From my understanding, SLA is basically an organization for organizations. They create workshops and retreats and facilitate them to help other student groups and students improve their leadership skills. Some topics they have programs on are icebreakers, team building, goal-setting, time management and stress relief, values clarification, recruitment and retention, officer transitions and so much more. I thought this group was unique in the sense that they serve other student organizations on campus. After learning about them, what they do really interested me especially since what they do not only help others build critical leadership skills, but also it would let me develop mine while serving other students. I also learned that there is an application process in order to become a part of this group. Applicants go through a competitive process to become a member.

Another group I talked to during this event was GHI, Global Health Initiative. Their colorful logo initially caught my eye, and then the name of the group. This organization advocate and raise awareness for global health. They do community service around Columbus throughout the school year and partners with a global non-profit organization called Peacework to go on international service trips over breaks. This year, they’re going to Malawi, Guatemala, and India for 2 weeks to host educational workshops, conduct health-related service projects, and do clinical volunteer work. Global health issue is something I’m passionate about especially as someone who wants to go into health care. After talking to the people that are already a member and learning about what they do, I want to get involved in this organization. I wanted to get involved in a service organization related to health care on campus. The agenda and the volunteering opportunities this group provides is something I would take advantage of.

I attended the Education Abroad Expo on September 4th. When walking into the event, the expo was a little overwhelming. I did not know which booth to approach at first, but I was able to direct myself to the tables beneficial to me according to the signs. I was a little skeptical, thinking that this wouldn’t help me that much, but I actually gained a lot of knowledge and encouraged me to research more opportunities regarding education abroad.

Even though I was able to obtain useful information, one thing that discouraged me during the event was the limited opportunities I have access to due to my major. There were various opportunities for language and humanities majors, but there weren’t booths specifically for STEM majors. There were a few research opportunities, but the only credits I could use from the experience were GE credits as a biomedical engineering major. However, since I was thinking about adding a humanities minor like human rights or peace studies, this was helpful for me in some way. I could kill two birds with one stone by fulfilling majority of the courses for the minor and studying abroad.

Also, there were some short-term opportunities like the Global May Program, which was the most realistic program for me if I don’t want it to interfere with my projected graduation date. Even though there’s a very slim chance that I’ll be able to pursue these, there were other programs that caught my eye as well. There was a program where you get on a boat and travel around the world. You spend a couple months on a boat while taking classes. The boat stops by more than 10 spots around the world, letting students travel and explore while taking their courses for school. I thought this was unique and fun even though I would be a little worried about getting sea sick. If I could fit this program into my schedule and find a course I can use for my studies, I would definitely consider this opportunity.

Studying abroad is something I really want to pursue. It’s an exceptional opportunity that you can only experience during your collegiate time. It would broaden my views, let me interact wider range of people, experience other cultures, and overall be a fun experience. Out of all the programs, the Global May Program is what caught my interest. I think the time might be a little too short, but would be enough for me to get a good insight in the country. It would be enough time to let me adjust to the new environment while not allowing me to get homesick.

Something else I started thinking about after the expo is how I can incorporate the study abroad experience with internships or co-ops. If I can work for a company outside of US, I would be able to take some components of the study abroad experience to the internship/co-op experience. I want to look more into these opportunities by researching online, attending other expos, or asking my adviser and friends.

[ “Year in Review” is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student. You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.

Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.

Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.

Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.

Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career. Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation. An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique. Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact u@osu.edu

The content of this site is published by the site owner(s) and is not a statement of advice, opinion, or information pertaining to The Ohio State University. Neither text, nor links to other websites, is reviewed or endorsed by The Ohio State University.